Rucksacks

ABSTRACT

A rucksack comprises a load-carrying bag ( 3 ) having a rear wall ( 5 ), and a harness ( 15 ) arranged to permit the load-carrying bag to be carried by a user with the rear wall adjacent the back of the user. The rear wall includes a plurality of projecting padded panels ( 19 ). The rucksack further includes a chassis ( 21 ) shaped such that in use each padded panel contacts the back of the user. The rucksack may alternatively, or additionally, include a pair of attachment ( 37 ) members on opposed sides of the rucksack, which are connected together through or adjacent the rear wall.

The present invention relates to rucksacks. As used herein, the term‘rucksack’ includes backpacks and other bags for carrying a load on theback and one or more shoulders of a human user.

Conventionally, a rucksack comprises a load-carrying bag and a harnessattached to the load-carrying bag. The harness generally comprises oneor two, usually two, shoulder straps arranged to be worn in use over theshoulders of a user. The harness may further comprise a chest strap toconnect the two straps across the chest of a user when the rucksack isin use. The harness may further comprise a belt arranged to be worn inuse around the hips or waist of a user.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided arucksack comprising a load-carrying bag having a rear wall, and aharness arranged in use to permit the load-carrying bag to be carried bya user with the rear wall adjacent the back of the user, wherein therear wall comprises a plurality of projecting padded panels, and therucksack further comprises a chassis shaped such that in use each of thepadded panels contacts the back of the user.

Some designs of rucksack are arranged so that the majority of the weightof a load in the load-carrying bag is carried on the shoulders of auser. A user of such a rucksack may quickly become tired, and so manymodern rucksacks attempt to transfer as much of the weight of a load aspossible to the hips and lumbar spine of a user, as the hips cancomfortably carry more weight than the shoulders.

We have determined that doing that is not always beneficial. That isbecause the lumbar spine is one of the most mobile regions of the spine.Carrying excessive weight on that region of the spine can reduce themobility of a user, by reducing the ability of the spine to twist andflex. Furthermore, the lumbar region is the region of the spine mostprone to injury and degenerative disc diseases.

With a rucksack in accordance with the invention the weight of a load isspread over the back, and so carried in a more central region of theback, reducing the risk of lumbar spine injury.

The rucksack may be arranged to flex in a similar way to the back of auser.

The chassis of the rucksack may be substantially S-shaped inlongitudinal cross-section.

The chassis of the rucksack may comprise a flexible panel which issubstantially the same size as the rear wall of the rucksack. The panelmay be removable from the rucksack, for example from a pocket providedon or in the rear wall of the rucksack, and may be formed frompolycarbonate.

The chassis of the rucksack may be integral with the rear wall.

The chassis may comprise a reinforcing member extending longitudinally,wherein the reinforcing member is less flexible than the remainder ofthe chassis. The reinforcing member may extend along the centre of thechassis. The reinforcing member may be substantially rigid. Such anarrangement allows the chassis to flex and twist about the reinforcingmember in a similar manner to the back twisting and flexing about thespine, whilst still remaining strong enough to support a heavy load

The padded panels may be separated by substantially unpadded regions,such that adjacent padded panels can move relative to one another. Thusin use two adjacent padded panels may be positioned such that thosepanels are in different orientations. For example, where each panel issubstantially planar, a central plane of one panel may be at an angle toa similar central plane of an adjacent panel. Alternatively, oradditionally, the unpadded regions may be arranged to collapse,compress, bend, stretch or similar, such that two adjacent panels canmove towards and/or away from one another.

With such an arrangement, as the user moves, adjacent panels of therucksack may move relative to each other. Thus the weight in therucksack may remain distributed on the user's back in a substantiallycontinuous way even whilst the user's spine twists or flexes. Thisincreases the comfort of the rucksack, because a user will not feel theweight of the rucksack shift around on his/her back when he moves asmuch as he/she would with a more conventional rucksack. Such increasedstability may reduce the risk of spinal injury. Furthermore, theunpadded regions provide channels through which air may flow, cooling auser's back.

The substantially unpadded regions may be between 10 and 100 mm wide.The substantially unpadded regions may be between 20 and 50 mm wide.

The padded panels may be arranged so as to provide a central unpaddedchannel, arranged in use to be located above a user's spine, to minimiseweight applied directly onto a user's spine.

There may be six padded panels. The panels may be provided in atwo-by-three arrangement, distributed with three panels on either sideof the central channel. The padded panels may be between 10 and 60 mmthick, for example between 20 and 50 mm thick. The lower pair of panels(adjacent the base of the rucksack) may comprise thicker padding (e.g.45 mm) than the upper panels (e.g. 35 mm).

The chassis may comprise body armour, and may be formed of an armouredmaterial such as Kevlar™. The chassis may be between approximately 1 mmand 30 mm thick, for example 2 mm if unarmoured, or 20 mm if armoured.

The rucksack may further comprise a pair of attachment members,comprising a first attachment member on one side of the load-carryingbag and a second attachment member on an opposite side of the loadcarrying bag, wherein the pair of attachment members are connectedtogether, for example by a tape extending, through or adjacent the rearwall and/or chassis of the rucksack.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided arucksack comprising a load-carrying bag having a rear wall, and aharness arranged in use to permit the load-carrying bag to be carried bya user with the rear wall adjacent the back of the user, wherein therucksack further comprises a pair of attachment members, comprising afirst attachment member on one side of the load-carrying bag and asecond attachment member on an opposite side of the load carrying bag,wherein the pair of attachment members are connected together through oradjacent the rear wall of the rucksack.

The rucksack may comprise a plurality of pairs of attachment members,for example, four, six, eight or ten pairs.

The or each pair of attachment members may be connected together by atape. The tapes may together form a webbed chassis extending through oradjacent the rear wall and/or chassis.

The attachment members may comprises one or more lash points such asD-loops, or buckles, for example side squeeze buckles. More than onepair of attachment members may be connected by the same tape.

The rucksack may further comprise a chassis. The chassis may be mountedadjacent the rear wall, for example in a pocket located on the rearwall, which may be internal to the load carrying bag. The chassis of therucksack may be integral with the rear wall.

The tape may extend through or adjacent (for example sewn to) the rearwall of the rucksack, so as to extend around the chassis. The tapes mayextend through the chassis itself, or be connected to the chassis, forexample by stitching, glue, or any other suitable means.

In this way each pair of attachment members is connected to or aroundthe chassis of the rucksack. This means that the weight of an item thatis attached to the attachment members is borne by the chassis, thestrongest part of the rucksack, rather than by the fabric of theload-bearing bag.

The rear wall may comprise a plurality of padded panels, and therucksack chassis may be shaped such that in use each of the paddedpanels contacts the back of the user. The chassis may be substantiallyS-shaped.

The load bearing bag of the rucksack may be arranged to collapsesubstantially flat, such that an object can be strapped against the rearwall and/or chassis of the rucksack.

A rucksack in accordance with the present invention may be moreversatile than conventional rucksacks, as the capacity of the rucksackcan be increased when desired. For example, pockets may be attached tothe rucksack to increase its capacity in order to carry a load to a basecamp. Once at the camp the pockets can be detached leaving the user witha smaller rucksack suitable for day-to-day use.

It is known to provide a rucksack with attachable pockets, such as theMOLLE™ (Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment) rucksack used bythe US Army and Marine Corps. The MOLLE rucksack is provided on itsouter surface with webbing. Portions of the webbing are stitched to therucksack such that a tape can be woven beneath unstitched portions ofthe webbing so as to attach an item to the rucksack.

Fixing the attachment members to or around the chassis of the rucksackin accordance with the invention rather than to the side or front wallsof the rucksack means that the attachment members may bear a heavierweight. In addition, it is possible to attach an object to the rucksackwhen the rucksack itself is empty. This may allow, for example, a largeand irregularly shaped object to be carried using the rucksack, evenwhen it would not have been possible to carry such an object in theload-carrying bag of the rucksack. It is further possible to use theattachment members to carry items across the front of a user, such asbody armour.

It will be appreciated that features described with respect to the firstaspect of the invention may be used in the second aspect of theinvention, and vice versa.

The following further features may be provided in either the rucksack ofthe first aspect of the invention or the rucksack of the second aspectof the invention.

The rucksack may comprise a carry handle provided on a side of therucksack.

The rucksack may comprise drainage holes, for example for water, in abase wall of the rucksack.

The rucksack may comprise substantially S-shaped straps. Each strap maycomprise a reinforcing strip which may be internal, and may be flexible,such as a polycarbonate or plastics panel. The reinforcing strip mayextend across the full width of the strap.

The rucksack may comprise a pair of compression straps arranged toextend from the rear wall to the front wall of the rucksack across themouth of the rucksack, wherein the compression straps are arranged tocross.

The rucksack lid may comprise an internal organiser pocket, which maycomprise a plurality of further pockets.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only,with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows schematically a front view of a rucksack in accordance withthe invention;

FIG. 2 shows schematically a side view of the rucksack of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a rucksack chassis;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a rucksack back system;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a rucksack in accordance with invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a rucksack expansionsystem;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rucksack of FIG. 5 with the rucksackexpansion system of FIG. 6 attached;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a rucksack attachment system;

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of a rucksack in accordance with theinvention that has been cut away to reveal the attachment system of FIG.8;

FIG. 10 schematically depicts the attachment of a rucksack expansionsystem;

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing further detail of the attachment of arucksack expansion system;

FIG. 12 shows a bottom view of a rucksack;

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of a rucksack top and straps; and

FIG. 14 is a schematic side view of a rucksack, partially cut away toreveal the chassis; and

FIG. 15 to 21 show various views of an alternative rucksack.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a rucksack 1 comprises a load-carrying bag 3having a rear wall 5, as well as a front wall 7 and two side walls 9together forming an open-ended bag into which a load may be placed. Therucksack 1 shown has a capacity of 30 litres, meaning that in use a usermay pack the load-carrying bag with contents having a volume of up to 30litres. The rucksack comprises a lid 11 attached to a top portion of therear wall 5. The lid and the front wall 7 are each provided withfastenings 13 which cooperate in use to secure the lid over the openingat the top of the bag. The rucksack is constructed from a hardwearingfabric, such as 600-1000 denier Cordura® fabrics.

The rucksack further comprises a harness 15 (see for example FIG. 13)arranged in use to permit the load-carrying bag 3 to be carried by auser with the rear wall 5 adjacent the back of the user. The harnesscomprises padded straps 17 for placing over the shoulders of the userand a hip belt (not shown) for fastening around the hips of the user.

The rear wall 5 of the rucksack 1 comprises a plurality of padded panels19 projecting from the rear wall. In this embodiment, six panels areprovided, arranged in a two-by-three formation, as shown in more detailin FIG. 4. The panels are of a generally rhomboid shape and may beformed from any suitable material. In this case, the panels comprisethree-layer foam, having a soft upper layer for contacting the user'sback and a firmer lower layer to provide additional support. Each panelis between 10 and 60 mm thick, and in this example each panel isapproximately 35 mm thick.

The panels transfer the weight of a load carried in the rucksack tospecific regions of the back of a user, as described in more detaillater. The padded panels also provide additional comfort to a user ofthe rucksack.

The panels are separated by substantially unpadded regions 20 whichcomprise no padding, or much less padding than the padded panels 19,such that adjacent padded panels can move relative to one another. Inthe example shown, the substantially unpadded regions comprise a smallamount of padding which is approximately 3 mm thick. The substantiallyunpadded regions may be between 10 and 100 mm wide, and in theembodiment shown in FIG. 4 are between 20 and 50 mm wide.

The rucksack further comprises a chassis 21. The chassis 21 is shapedsuch that in use each of the padded panels 19 contacts the back of theuser. With reference to FIG. 2, the chassis 21 is shaped to follow asimilar curve to the human spine 23, which helps ensure that each pad 19is in contact with a user's back. It can be seen that the chassis issubstantially S-shaped. In particular, the upper region of the chassisfollows a substantially kyphotic curve to correspond with the curve of arucksack user's thoracic spine, and the lower region of the chassisfollows a substantially lordotic curve to follow the lumbar spine. Thechassis is located adjacent the rear wall 5 of the rucksack, and in thisembodiment is located in a pocket 22 provided in the rear wall 5. Thepocket is located so that in use, the chassis extends from in the regionof the user's C7 (i.e. lower cervical) vertebra to the iliac line (i.e.the line across the back extending between the iliac crests on thehips).

The unpadded regions 20 of the rucksack are more flexible than thepadded panels, such that the unpadded regions are able to bend, guidedby the curve of the chassis, to allow two adjacent padded panels to bepositioned in different orientations. For example, referring to FIG. 2,it can be seen that a central plane 27 a of one panel 19 a is at anangle (that is, is not parallel to) to a similar central plane 27 b ofan adjacent panel 19 b. This arrangement spreads the weight of a loadwithin the rucksack over the user's back, because each of the six padswill transfer a portion of the weight to the back.

The chassis 21 of the rucksack is shown in more detail in FIG. 3. It canbe seen that in this embodiment the chassis is substantially rectangularin plan view, such that the chassis 21 is a panel substantially the samesize as the rear wall 5 of the rucksack. The chassis is made from asuitable strong, flexible and lightweight material, such aspolycarbonate. The chassis comprises a longitudinal reinforcing member25, for example a steel strip, extending along a centre line of thechassis. The reinforcing member 25 is less flexible than the remainderof the chassis, and in this embodiment is substantially rigid, and soremoves some of the flexibility from the chassis in the locality inwhich it is located. In the embodiment shown the chassis is able totwist and flex about the reinforcing member, but is substantially unableto bend or fold across the reinforcing member. The reinforcing memberalso serves to hold the chassis in its S-shaped curve.

We have found that, when in use, such a design of chassis providesstrength in a longitudinal direction, so as to ensure the rucksack holdsits shape enough to perform its function of distributing a load across auser's back. However, such a chassis also permits some torsion, meaningthe rucksack may move with a user's back when the user bends or twists.This combination of rigidity and flexibility results in a rucksack whichis comfortable to wear and which permits a greater freedom of movementthat other rucksacks of comparable size.

The flexibility of the unpadded regions also allows them to collapse,bend, compress and/or stretch, such that two adjacent panels can movetowards and/or away from one another, when the rucksack is in use. Thispermits the padded panels to move with the chassis, such the weight inthe rucksack remains distributed on the user's back in a substantiallycontinuous way whilst the user's spine twists or flexes.

Furthermore, the unpadded regions provide channels through which air mayflow, cooling a user's back, as shown by arrows 29 in FIG. 4. An activecooling system, such as a thermoelectric cooling system, may be providedin or adjacent the unpadded regions if required.

The two-by-three arrangement of panels shown in FIG. 4 has been found tobe advantageous because it mimics the natural shape of the human back.Distributing the panels in three rows of two provides a central channel31 which lies over the spine when the rucksack is in use, avoidingpressure being applied directly onto the vertebrae of the spine.

The top two padded panels are located so as to substantially rest on,and transfer weight to, the trapezius and the upper part of thelatissimus dorsi muscles of a rucksack user. The bottom two paddedpanels are located so as to substantially rest on, and transfer weightto, an upper part of the user's gluteus maximus. The centre two paddedpanels rest substantially on the central, thoracic, region of the back,including the erector spinae muscles. With such a distribution, each oftwo transverse channels 33 are located near or substantially at the apexof a spinal curve, when the rucksack is correctly fitted, which meansthat the flexible, unpadded regions 20 are provided in the area of therear wall that is likely to be required to bend to the most.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 11, and 14, a modular attachment system isdescribed.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a rucksack 1 similar to that of FIGS.1 to 4. FIG. 6 shows a rucksack expansion system in the form of a set ofmodular pockets 35 adapted to be attached to the rucksack. FIG. 7 showthe rucksack 1 of FIG. 5 with the modular pockets 35 of FIG. 6 attached.

With the modular system described below, it is possible to significantlyincrease the capacity of the rucksack, for example to more than 100litres, perhaps up to 120 litres or 130 litres. The back system of therucksack 1 described above allows more weight to be carried by therucksack than would traditionally result from a 30 litre load. Dependingon what it comprises, such a load is unlikely to weigh more than 10kilos. However, the rucksack described herein has been designed so thata user can carry loads of up to 45 kilograms ergonomically, and up to100 kilograms is necessary, so that the rucksack is still comfortable tocarry when it is used with the modular expansion system discussed below.

As shown best in FIGS. 8 to 11, the rucksack comprises a plurality ofattachment members 37, in the form of various buckles and D-loops. Thebuckles on the rucksack are female side squeeze buckles, to cooperatewith male side squeeze buckles provided on the rucksack expansionsystems. Alternatively, or additionally, the D loops can be used to tieor otherwise attach an item not comprising male side squeeze buckles tothe rucksack.

The attachment members 37 are primarily provided in pairs. Each paircomprises a first attachment member on one side of the rucksack, and asecond attachment member on an opposite side of the rucksack, whereinthe pair of attachment members are connected together through oradjacent the rear wall of the rucksack, in particular by a tape 39extending through or adjacent the rear wall. The tape may be secured tothe chassis of the rucksack, for example by sewing or gluing the tapeonto either a front side or a rear side of the chassis. Alternatively,or additionally, the tape may be passed through one or more holes in thechassis, or the tape may be fused to the chassis, for example bymoulding the chassis around the tape.

In the embodiment shown (see FIG. 14), the chassis 21 is held in apocket 22 provided on the rear wall 5 of the rucksack. The tapes extendadjacent to the chassis, but are not fixed to the chassis. Instead thetapes are sewn to or within the rear wall, such that they extend aroundthe chassis, and together comprise a webbed chassis.

In FIG. 8, the chassis is not shown so that the tapes connectingrespective pairs of attachment members can be seen. A first pair ofattachment members 37A, each comprising a D-loop, is connected by a tape39A. A second pair of attachment members 37B, each comprising a D-loopand a side-squeeze buckle, is connected by extensions 39B of the tape39A. The tapes 39A and 39B may be portions of a single continuous tape,or may be sewn together so as to form a continuous tape.

In a similar way, pairs of attachment members 37C and 37D, 37E and 37F,and 37G and 37H, are connected respectively by tapes 39C, 39E and 39G.

The tapes may extend through or adjacent (for example sewn to) the rearwall of the rucksack, so as to extend around the chassis. The tapes mayextend through the chassis itself, or be connected to the chassis, forexample by stitching, glue, or any other suitable means. The tapes aremade from a strong and durable material, such as polypropylene.

In this way each pair of attachment members is connected to or aroundthe chassis of the rucksack. This means that the weight of an extensionthat is attached to the rucksack is borne by the chassis, the strongestpart of the rucksack, rather than by the fabric of the load-bearing bag.

Furthermore, it is possible to attach an item to the rucksack when therucksack itself is completely empty. The load bearing bag of therucksack is arranged to collapse substantially flat, such that an objectcan be strapped directly to the chassis of a rucksack using tapescomprising appropriate female side squeeze buckles (for connection tothe male side squeeze buckles) or using a rope, tape, bungee cord orsimilar (for connection to the D-loops). This is particularly useful ifa large irregularly shaped object must be carried, that cannot easilyfit inside the load-carrying bag.

Additional pairs of attachment members 37J and 37K are provided toassist in stabilising and supporting loads strapped to the side of arucksack.

When not in use, the attachment members can be concealed in zippedpockets 41 in appropriate locations on the rucksack, as shown, forexample, in FIG. 9.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate in more detail how to connect an expansionsystem comprising three pockets 35 to the rucksack 1. It will beappreciated that it is not necessary to connect all three pockets to therucksack. If desired a single pocket, such as the front pocket, could beconnected. To do that, the front pocket should be disconnected from thetwo side pockets, by releasing the buckles 42, and connecting the pocketas shown.

To connect a side pocket without the front pocket, for extra stability,the buckles 42 may be connected to the rucksack 1 using attachmentmembers 37B and 37D.

FIGS. 15 to 21 show an alternative rucksack 100. The rucksack 100 issimilar to the rucksack 1, and so only the differences will be describedin detail below.

As before, the rucksack 100 comprises a load-carrying bag 103 having arear wall 105 (visible in FIG. 17), a front wall 107 and two side walls109. The rucksack further comprises a curved, substantially S-shaped,chassis 121 in an internal pocket, as shown in FIG. 17 a, and anexpansion/attachment system extending through the rear wall, similar tothat described above.

The rucksack 100 includes the following additional features:

S-shaped shoulder straps 117, best shown in rear view in FIG. 17. Theshoulder straps 117 include reinforcing in the form of a flexible stripschematically illustrated at 140 in FIGS. 16 and 17. The strip 140extends across the full width of the straps, and is in this examplelocated in the interior of the straps. A layer of padding 142 isprovided on the underside of each strap, such that it is located betweenthe reinforcing strap and the body of a user when the rucksack is inuse. The reinforcing may be formed of any suitable flexible but strongmaterial, such as polycarbonate. The reinforcing has the effect ofspreading the weight of the load more evenly, particularly across theuser's trapezius muscles. The padding is, in this example, approximately25 mm thick.

A padded hip belt 144 shown in side view in FIG. 16. The hip beltcomprises a similar level of padding to the lower padded regions locatedon the rear wall, so that the weight of the load is evenly borne aroundthe hips.

Variable thicknesses of padding in the rear padded regions 119. Inparticular, the lower pair of padded regions 119 c have thicker padding(in this example in the region of 45 mm thick) than the upper and middlepadded regions 119 a and 119 b (which, as before, comprise approximately35 mm of padding). Increasing the padding in the lower regions providesincreased comfort.

Carry handles, in particular, an upper carry handle 146 is provided, asis a side carry handle 148. The carry handles are joined to the rucksackrear wall at an edge region of the rear wall, and are dimensioned foruse with padded gloves.

Anchor points for chest armour 160, best shown in FIG. 16. The pair ofanchor points 160 are linked together through or around the chassis ofthe rucksack in a similar way to the attachment members 37, but arelocated on the rucksack so as to allow an item such as armour to beconnected to the rucksack across the user's chest. In particular, theanchor points include tapes 161 and attachment regions 162 in the formof buckles. The tapes are located so that the buckles extend backtowards the rear wall and the harness of the rucksack, so that an itemcan be attached to the rucksack across the chest.

A reinforced chassis 121, suitable for use as personal protectiveequipment, or body armour. In this example, the chassis 121 is formed ofa material designed to withstand a ballistic impact, such as Kevlar™.The chassis is approximately 10 mm thick. The padded regions 119 furtheract to spread and dissipate the force of an impact directed a user'sback.

Compression straps 164, extending in use across the mouth 163 of therucksack bag. The straps 164 are shown open in FIG. 21A, and closed FIG.21B. The straps are arranged so as to each extend across the mouth 163of the rucksack on a diagonal, such that the straps cross. This helpsimprove weight distribution as well as compression in a poorly packedbag. A third lateral compression strap 165 may also be provided.

Drainage holes 150 are provided in a lower wall of the rucksack.

An internal pocket 151 and access holes 152 are provided to make therucksack compatible with the use of a hydration system, such as a waterbladder and hose.

Retaining loops 154 are provided to maintain loose tapes of the rucksackclosures, compression straps and/or attachment members in apredetermined location.

A rain cover 156 is provided in an internal pocket of the lid 111, suchthat it can be folded out when required. The lid 111 also comprises apersonal organiser 158 in the form of an internal pocket comprising aplurality of smaller pockets shaped to hold regularly required itemssuch as pens, snacks, money, keys etc.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to therucksacks described without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, the rucksack expansion system is not limited to the number,size and shape of pockets shown herein. Pockets could be provided in anysuitable shape or size. A harness with suitable buckles might beprovided for attaching bulky objects to the rucksack.

It will be appreciated that the chassis could be integral with the rearwall if desired. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that a chassis foruse with the attachment system described need not be substantiallyS-shaped as described, but could be planar, or substantially C-shaped.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention tothose features of the invention believed to be of particular importanceit should be understood that the applicant claims protection in respectof any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbeforereferred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particularemphasis has been placed thereon.

1. A rucksack comprising a load-carrying bag having a rear wall, and aharness arranged in use to permit the load-carrying bag to be carried bya user with the rear wall adjacent the back of the user, wherein therear wall comprises a plurality of projecting padded panels, and therucksack further comprises a chassis shaped such that in use each of thepadded panels contacts the back of the user.
 2. A rucksack in accordancewith claim 1, wherein the chassis of the rucksack is substantiallyS-shaped in longitudinal cross-section.
 3. A rucksack in accordance withclaim 1, wherein the chassis of the rucksack comprises a flexible panel,the flexible panel may be substantially the same size as the rear wallof the rucksack, and the panel may be removable from the rucksack. 4-5.(canceled)
 6. A rucksack in accordance with claim 1, wherein the chassisis integral with the rear wall of the rucksack.
 7. A rucksack inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the chassis is formed frompolycarbonate, and the chassis may be between approximately 1 mm and 30mm thick.
 8. A rucksack in accordance with any claim 1, wherein thechassis comprises a reinforcing member extending longitudinally, whereinthe reinforcing member is less flexible than the remainder of thechassis, wherein the reinforcing member may extend along the centre ofthe chassis, wherein the reinforcing member may be substantially rigid,and may be a steel strip, the reinforcing member may remove some of theflexibility from the chassis in the locality in which it is located, thechassis may be able to twist and flex about the reinforcing member, butis substantially unable to bend or fold across the reinforcing member,and the reinforcing member may serve to hold the chassis in an S-shapedcurve in longitudinal cross-section. 9-10. (canceled)
 11. A rucksack inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the padded panels are separated bysubstantially unpadded regions, and the unpadded regions may be arrangedto collapse, compress, bend or stretch such that adjacent padded panelscan move relative to one another, and the unpadded regions may beprovided in the area of the rear wall that is likely to be required tobend the most.
 12. (canceled)
 13. A rucksack in accordance with claim11, wherein the unpadded regions provide channels through which airflows, cooling a user's back, the substantially unpadded regions may bebetween 10 and 100 mm wide, and may be between 20 and 50 mm wide. 14-15.(canceled)
 16. A rucksack in accordance with claim 1, wherein there aresix padded panels, the panels are provided in a two-by-threearrangement, distributed with three panels on either side of a centralchannel, providing two top, two centre and two bottom panels, and thepanels may be arranged to spread the weight of a load within therucksack over the user's back, because each of the six panels willtransfer a portion of the weight to the back.
 17. (canceled)
 18. Arucksack in accordance with claim 1, wherein the padded panels arebetween 10 and 60 mm thick, and may be between 20 and 50 mm thick. 19.(canceled)
 20. A rucksack in accordance with claim 16, wherein the lowerpanels adjacent the base of the rucksack comprise thicker padding thanthe upper panels. 21-49. (canceled)
 50. A rucksack in accordance withclaim 1, wherein the chassis is substantially rectangular in plan view.51. A rucksack in accordance with claim 1, wherein the chassis of therucksack is located adjacent the rear wall, the chassis may be locatedin a pocket provided in the rear wall, and the pocket may be located sothat in use, the chassis extends from in the region of the user's C7(lower cervical) vertebra to the iliac line (the line across the backextending between the iliac crests on the hips).
 52. A rucksack inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the chassis is shaped to follow asimilar curve to the human spine, wherein an upper region of the chassismay follow a substantially kyphotic curve to correspond with the curveof a rucksack user's thoracic spine, and the lower region of the chassismay follow a substantially lordotic curve to follow the lumbar spine.53. A rucksack in accordance with claim 1, wherein the panels comprisethree-layer foam, having a soft upper layer for contacting the user'sback and a firmer lower layer to provide additional support.
 54. Arucksack in accordance with claim 1, wherein the padded panels move withthe chassis, such that the weight in the rucksack remains distributed onthe user's back in a substantially continuous way whilst the user'sspine twists or flexes.
 55. A rucksack in accordance with claim 11,wherein the unpadded regions of the rucksack are more flexible than thepadded panels, such that the unpadded regions are able to bend, guidedby the curve of the chassis, to allow two adjacent padded panels to bepositioned in different orientations.
 56. A rucksack in accordance withclaim 11, wherein an active cooling system, such as a thermoelectriccooling system, is provided in or adjacent the unpadded regions.
 57. Arucksack in accordance with claim 16, wherein the top two padded panelsare located so as to substantially rest on, and transfer weight to, thetrapezius and the upper part of the latissimus dorsi muscles of arucksack user, the bottom two padded panels may be located so as tosubstantially rest on, and transfer weight to, an upper part of theuser's gluteus maximus, and the centre two padded panels may restsubstantially on the central, thoracic, region of the back, includingthe erector spinae muscles.
 58. A rucksack in accordance with claim 16,wherein the two-by-three arrangement of panels mimics the natural shapeof the human back, and the distribution of the panels in three rows oftwo may provide a central channel which lies over the spine when therucksack is in use, avoiding pressure being applied directly onto thevertebrae of the spine.